


Rachel's Legacy

by CassieHalliwell



Series: Tales of the Slayers [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-05-26 18:51:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6251539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassieHalliwell/pseuds/CassieHalliwell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One of the newly activated Slayers discovers her powers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dreaming

It was early morning at Seaview Hall and all were fast asleep. All, that is, apart from Rachel Walker. Rachel was lying on her back in bed, listening to her roommate's rhythmic breathing. She had slept fitfully all night because the dreams kept plaguing her. The same dreams she had been having for the last three weeks. All of them about monsters and the warrior women who fought them.

She looked out of the window. It was almost dawn so there was no point in even trying to go back to sleep. Rachel opened one of the drawers in the desk at the side of her bed very quietly and pulled out a journal. This was the diary she kept all of her dreams in, especially since last month. She pulled out the pen attached to it and wrote:

Saturday 21st June

Another dream came to me. It was basically the same as all the others. Demons, monsters and other things that go bump in the night. The warrior woman was there too. Except she wasn’t the same one I had dreamt of previously. This one, she seemed stronger than the rest. More resilient. Like she’d seen more horrors than any of the others. The Slayer they called her. The Slayer of what, exactly?

She closed the diary and put it back into the desk drawer. The sunlight was now starting to filter into her room. She knew her roommate would be up soon and once Angelina was awake, so was everyone else (in the same room as her).

Within an hour, Angelina was up and clattering around the room in her pajamas. When she disappeared out of the room to go to the bathroom, Rachel finally decided it was time to get up. She got out of bed and dressed quickly. 

“So what do you want to do today?” Rachel asked Angelina when she had come back from the bathroom.

“Go shopping, chat up cute boys on the beach, go to the cinema and drink lots of coffee. But first, breakfast.” She replied.

Typical Angelina. Food first, boys and shopping later.

When they reached the dining hall, Angelina loaded two plates with food and brought that and coffee to the table Rachel had chosen.

“You all right? You look knackered. You need some coffee, girl.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep well that’s all.”

“Drink up. We’ve got a busy day.”

Which was true. They spent over three hours at the shops, looking for some new shoes. Both Rachel and Angelina had dates for the next weekend. They went to the cinema to watch some romantic comedy, which Angelina was a sucker for (Rachel preferred action and adventure movies).

In fact nothing strange happened that day. Until just before bedtime, Rachel was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. She heard a whisper.

“Help me. Slayer, I need your help. Save me.”

She looked around the room but no one was there. Brushing it off, she left the bathroom and went to bed. The dreams returned that night. Same monsters, same women. After waking up, she recorded them in her dream diary and vowed to go the library that day.

Seaview Academy had quite a large library and in that library was a supernatural section. Rachel’s mother had always told her stories about ghosts and various creatures of the night. And Rachel herself loved horror movies. Werewolves, vampires and zombies, mainly.

Sunday morning, Rachel headed straight for the supernatural section. It was out of sight and provided quite a good hideaway. She decided to start with the ‘Slayer’ reference. No books specifically on Slayers. She did, however after roughly an hour of searching, find a mention of ‘Slayers’ in a book on vampires.

“Although a vampire can be killed by sunlight, decapitation, a stake to the heart, being set on fire or even holy water if consumed, a vampire hunter’s best weapon is a Slayer.

A Slayer is a girl (and always has been a girl, only one in every generation) who has the strength and skill which she uses to fight the vampires, demons and other creatures of darkness.”

Well, at least she knew what a Slayer was. Now all she had to figure out what it had to do with her.

Someone calling her name interrupted her thoughts.

“Rachel?” The librarian was standing five feet from her.

“Yes. Sorry. Daydreaming.” She said, coming back to her own thoughts.

“There’s someone who wants to see you. He’s a friend of your mother’s.”


	2. Legacy

Rachel made her way to the reception area for visitors. A middle-aged man stood waiting patiently. She was sure he looked familiar. She crossed the foyer and approached him. He looked up and smiled.

“Rachel Walker?” He asked her.

“You’re Rupert Giles, right?”

He seemed surprised that she knew who he was.

“How did you…?”

“I've met you before.” He looked confused. “About ten years ago. You were talking to my mother about some council or something. I was seven or eight at the time.”

“Oh yes, of course.” Realization dawned on him. “I didn't think you would remember me. Is there somewhere we can talk?”

* * *

 “So I'm a Slayer?”

“Yes.”

“I’m supposed to fight monsters?”

“Yes.”

“And my mother’s my Watcher.”

“Yes.”

“She is really my mother, isn’t she?”

“Yes she is. Rather unusual, actually. A Slayer, or potential Slayer as you were at the time, being born to a Watcher.”

“So why didn’t she tell me about any of this?”

“I can only presume that she wanted to keep you safe. I think she may have hoped that you would never be called. But you have been.”

“The dreams. About the monsters, about the women. The women were Slayers. So what happens now?”

“Well you can stay here if you want. Living your life as you do now. You have a Watcher so we can stay in contact. She has our number.”

“Our?”

“A few friends and myself have been keeping track of all the new Slayers.”

“How many other Slayers are there?”

“Around 50, so far. We haven’t located them all yet.”

“So much for one per generation.”

“Yes, quite.” He pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to Rachel. “In case you ever need me, this is our number. You shouldn’t need it. There isn’t that much supernatural activity around here.”

He stood up.

“Well, I should be going now. I’ll be in the area for the next few days if you have any questions.”

Rachel nodded. Rupert Giles took his leave and walked off back to the main building. Rachel watched him go.

Now at least she knew what this had to do with her.


	3. Whispers

Rachel had a dreamless sleep that night. Now that the issues had been resolved and she knew her destiny, the dreams had stopped. She woke the next morning refreshed.

There was no one else in the bathroom when she entered it. Oddly one of the mirrors was clouded. As Rachel neared it, an invisible hand began to write.

‘Anna McDonald. April 1985. Room 117’

The door opened behind her. Rachel turned her head to see Erica, one of the girls in her year, poke her head in.

“Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Rachel turned back to the mirror but the writing had vanished.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

* * *

The archives seemed like a good place to start. Rachel went looking for newspaper articles from April 1985. What she was looking for was in one of the first pages she came across. 

‘MURDER AT GIRLS ACADEMY

Anna McDonald, 16, was found dead in her room at Seaview Hall early on Saturday morning. The cause of death is as yet unknown. The police think her murder may be linked to the disappearance of her roommate Tessa Donovan earlier this month.

Anna McDonald was last seen on campus on Friday night with friends as they walked back to their dormitories.

The police suspect the killer is the same man who is suspected of kidnapping Tessa Donovan earlier this month and also that he knew both girls as there seems to have been no struggle. Eyewitness reports have turned up nothing conclusive say police.

Both the Donovans and the McDonalds have been unavailable for comment.’

Seeing as Anna was dead, Rachel instinctively thought ‘ghost’. But she thought ghosts couldn’t touch things.

She also came across an article about Tessa Donovan’s disappearance.

‘LOCAL SCHOOLGIRL MISSING

Police have asked people to be on the lookout for missing schoolgirl Tessa Donovan, 17. Miss Donovan was last seen four days ago near the park in the local town with an older man, although a search of the area has failed to find this man.

“If you have any information, regarding Tessa’s whereabouts or anything, please let the police or someone know. We need our daughter back.” Said Tessa’s mother, Katherine, yesterday.’

She needed to call Mr. Giles. She pulled out her mobile phone and dialed the number on the card.

“Hello?” Said a familiar voice.

“Mr. Giles? It’s Rachel. I need to ask you something. I think I have a ghost problem.”

“A ghost problem? That’s certainly interesting. What do you need to know?”

A while later, Rachel had all the information she needed to know about ghosts. Apparently they could touch things. She also discovered the main reason they stayed on this plane of existence was unfinished business. Rachel needed to find out what this unfinished business was.

Rachel decided to go into town to try and get a lead. She knew where the park was and there was plenty of time before sundown.

* * *

She reached the park fifteen minutes later. Immediately she noticed the park was within walking distance of the cemetery. She felt drawn to it and decided to follow her Slayer instincts. She wandered through the graveyard until a tombstone caught her eye.

As she got closer to it, she could see the writing on it:

Anna McDonald

1968 – 1985

Always remembered.  
Never forgotten.

“Hello Slayer”

Rachel heard a voice and whipped round. Behind her a familiar looking teenage girl with shoulder length dark blonde hair stood.

“Anna?”

“So you know who I am?” At Rachel’s nod, she continued. “Do you know what happened to me?”

“Only that you were murdered and you might have known your killer?”

“Oh I knew my killer all right…my roommate Tessa. She killed me.”


	4. Revelations

“Your roommate?”

“Tessa went missing about three weeks before I died. When she came back, I invited her in. This is what she did to me.” Anna pulled on the collar of her jumper to reveal two deep holes in the side of her neck.

“Vampire.” Rachel said.

“Yes. My roommate and best friend had come back as a blood-sucking creature of the night.”

“You couldn’t have known.”

“Yes I could. I was a Slayer just like you. But I was newly activated and I couldn’t really sense vampires unless I tried. I didn’t expect Tessa to kill me. I should have realized.” Anna hung her head in shame.

Rachel wanted to be able to comfort Anna at that moment but obviously couldn’t because ghosts have no physical form.

“Why now?” She asked Anna.

“I had to wait for you to come into your powers. The only way I can cross over is with the ‘death’ of my murderess. That’s where you come in. You have to kill Tessa.”

“But I’ve never killed a vampire before and I don’t even know where she is.”

“But I do. We should wait until tomorrow. That way, if you need to run away, just head straight into the daylight.” With that, Anna disappeared and Rachel headed back to the school.

* * *

Rachel was woken the next morning by a rather insistent knock on her door. When she opened her eyes to look at the clock, it said 9:45. ‘I must’ve slept very deeply not to be woken by Angelina.’

She got out of bed and opened the door to find a younger student holding out a rather large parcel for her. Wordlessly and confused, she took it and shut the door.

The package contained a note from her mother, which she read first.

Rachel,

If you are reading this, then I have failed to protect you from your responsibilities. I am sorry that you should have to bear this burden but the things in this box should make it easier. I know I should have told you earlier but I only wanted to protect you.

I suspect Rupert Giles has already been to see you. He is one of the most respected watchers of our time. I am sure that he has already told you that you do not have to bear this burden alone. He is there to help you, as am I.

Regarding the items in the box, hide them from prying eyes, as they are a slayer’s best weapons against the forces of darkness. I can only hope that they don’t reach you too late.

Good luck.

Rachel put the letter to one side and opened the package. Inside was an assortment of weapons for a vampire slayer, including stakes, holy water, a crucifix and a sword.

“You ready?” A familiar voice said.

Looking up, Rachel saw Anna standing on the other side of the room.

“First I need to get dressed.”

* * *

 Ten minutes later, Rachel was ready but just as she headed to the door, Anna asked her something.

“Aren’t you going to take that?”

She spun around and looked at the item in question.

“I can’t walk around town with a sword, you know.”

“I know. But that’s no ordinary sword. It retracts into the handle and you wear it like a bracelet.”

Rachel picked up the sword and as she did, it vanished into the handle. She put it on.

“How do I get it back?”

“It senses when you have need of it. It’s enchanted to know that.”

“Okay. So, let’s go.”

* * *

They reached the place Anna had said Tessa was hiding. It was a rather rundown house on the edge of town. Its previous owner had died some years before in mysterious circumstances, from loss of blood apparently.

Anna glided up the steps with Rachel following her. Rachel opened the door and walked inside. The air inside smelt sort of musty and decaying. The little light coming in from the boarded up windows revealed a home that could have been quite nice to live in if it was cleaned up a bit. Anna walked through the house to a set of stairs leading down. Suddenly a presence appeared from nowhere and crashed into the unsuspecting slayer. She vaulted back onto her feet. The sword reappeared and Rachel brought it up in front of her. A vampire faced her but it wasn’t Tessa.

He charged at her but Rachel swung her sword and decapitated him. He disintegrated into dust before her eyes. The sword vanished back into the handle. Rachel cautiously went down the stairs. Several bare light bulbs lit the cellar and sitting on a chair in the corner was Angelina.


	5. Retribution and Moving On

“Angelina?”

The figure in the corner looked up and her face immediately brightened.

“Rachel?”  Her voice sounded strained.  Her eyes widened and she said, “Look out.”

Rachel flipped her assailant over onto their back.  When they got up, the vamp looked at her and said, “Slayer.”

A feeling came over Rachel.  She felt weird and detached.

“No, I’m the ghost of Christmas past.”  She retorted, with a voice that didn’t seem her own.

Then it hit her.  Anna had taken over her body.  She was using Rachel to get revenge on Tessa.

“Anna.”  Tessa growled back.

“The one and only.  I killed your sire, by the way.”

“He always was a fool.”

“Anyway, you and I have unfinished business.”

Tessa did a flying tackle at Anna but ended up getting kicked in the chest and flying back into a pile of wood in the corner.  She got up and circled round Anna before launching a series of furious attacks.  Anna, being the more powerful fighter having honed her power keeping the Ghost Roads safe, easily beat back her opponent’s moves.  Tessa wasn’t used to fighting Slayers hell-bent on revenge every day.

Anna fought back with punches and kicks of her own.  It was easy to see that the vampire was losing the rematch.  Just when Tessa saw an opening (which would have led to the death of both Anna and Rachel), Anna pulled a stake out of her belt (under her jacket) and thrust it through Tessa’s heart.

The surprised vampire looked down and then back at Anna.

“Oh.”  She said (in an I-didn’t-expect-you-to-do-that kind of way) before crumbling into dust.

Rachel felt an odd sensation, like all feeling had returned to her body.

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t think you knew how to fight a vampire.  You said you’d never fought one before.  I thought it was for the best.”  A voice said from behind her.

“Who’s she?”  Asked Angelina from the corner.

“An old friend.”  Replied Rachel, turning around.

“So are you going now?”  She continued.

“I can feel it pulling me already.”

“Have a nice afterlife, then.”

“I will, thanks to you.”

Anna vanished.  There was silence for a moment, which was broken by Angelina.

“What the hell is going on here?”

* * *

Rachel and Angelina got back to the school safely.  Rachel explained everything to her about the past few days.  Angelina listened quietly before saying she thought it was bloody brilliant.  She got to be a superhero’s sidekick.

And they all lived happily ever after.

For now.

 

 


End file.
